Not As He Seems
by Phantom Ange
Summary: When a girl takes in a wounded owl she gets herself into more then she bargained for. [Complete]


_Disclaimer : I don't own the Labyrinth or Jareth! Damn! But I do own Heather so don't go stealing now. Its very rude. _

_Story: When Heather takes in a wounded bird one night she has no idea what she's getting herself into._

_Not As He Seems_

Heather Amaral was tired from cleaning the indoor cages for the zoo's bird exhibit. Her clothes were definitely being cleaned right after she got home, because they reeked of bird shit.

She shook her head from exhaustion her short brown hair falling into her face. Heather's large brown doe eyes widened when she heard a loud thunk on the door to the indoor bird aviary she was working in. She rushed to the door, and let herself out to quickly shut the door behind her. She didn't need any bird's getting loose.

Heather looked around but there was no one at the door. The path to the aviary was lined with shrubs, from one of these shrubs Heather saw a long white wing protruding onto the pavement path. Shocked she ran to the bush, and found a small white owl laying on it's back. The poor bird's wing was broken, and it looked like it had been through hell. Careful of the wing she gathered it up, she was suprised the owl wasn't frightened of her. Maybe it had gone into shock. With this in mind she rushed to the small clinic inside the zoo in case the animals became sick or wounded.

Heather flashed her badge at the lone guard outside the clinic. "Evening Dr. Amaral." He said, but she was already inside.

Without hesitation Heather braced the wing so no further injury could occur, then she realized she had forgotten to check the owls cage number. But there was no clips in the wing, or cut tail feathers, and absolutely no number tag anywhere. It was a wild bird.

Being a veterinarian at the zoo she knew the animal couldn't be set free with a broken wing, or put in with the zoo owls. And there were no empty cages in the zoo for her patient.

The owl in particular was standing on the table, and examining the splint on it's wing. Heather smiled at the little owl, happy it was up and about already. She sighed, and the owl looked at her. Turning it's head to the side it hooted at her.

" Well looks like your coming home with me Jareth." She said. The owl started to hop about frantically almost like it was happy with what she called him. Heather realized she had named the bird after her favorite fantasy character from Labyrinth unknowingly. She remembered that Jareth, the Goblin King could turn into a white owl like her patient at will in the story.

She smiled again , and the owl perched on her shoulder , and nuzzled it's head to her cheek. Suprised by the little bird's unusual affection she giggled.

" I guess that's what i'll call you then little one. I need a friend anyway." She said, finding a suitably large cage to transport her new friend Jareth in. Getting Jareth into the cage though was like pulling teeth, he simply did not want to go in. Just for a fun thought Heather went into her hip purse and pulled out a clear marble the size of a small crystal and started moving it between her fingers like the Goblin King did with larger versions. Her father was a magician so she knew how to manipulate the marble through her slender fingers. Again she was suprised to see the owl watching the movements with intensity.

" I guess you like that huh Jareth?" She said smiling. She rolled the marble into the cage, and the owl hopped after it. Before he could jump out again Heather closed the cage door. He seemed to glare angrily at her, but Heather dismissed the thought. She turned to get supplies for taking care of the owl, but she did not see the little owl pick up the marble with it's claw , and hide it beneath it's feathery down. Heather packed the bird food and other supplies in the back seat of her car, and put Jareth's cage in the passenger seat.

" Let's go home." She said. And the little owl hooted in agreement.

For five months Heather carefully nursed Jareth back to health. Sometimes she would see the owl scooting about the clear marble she had given him. After the first two weeks of Jareth's stay he hated the cage, and Heather had to shove him back in each time. The third month she finally gave up completely on the cage, and got him a tall wooden perch that went in her bedroom.

Heather had come accustomed to falling asleep to Jareth's sleeping cooe's. The fourth month he could fly out to hunt each night. Heather usually didn't see him until she finished her breakfast the next morning when he did this. He would fly into the room , and land on her shoulder like the first night she found him. And Heather was always ready with a piece of toast, and a dish of water for him.

She constantly talked to Jareth, the way she would talk to her best friend, if she had one. Of course all the talk was from Heather's side since Jareth could not speak. But she didn't mind, as long as he was listening. Sometimes she even thought he understood what she was saying.

By the fifth month Heather was able to say Jareth was fully recovered. Tearfully she tried to set him free a hundred miles from her home. But that very same night he came back, how he got in was a mystery to Heather since all the windows had been shut that night. The owl was very stubborn , and would not leave. So Heather made Jareth a permanent part of her family, and life. Having a pendant made to fit on his collar of an owl holding a crystal with her address , and Jareth's name etched on the back. It somehow made him look regal.

Her birthday came up, she had turned twenty-four. She found Jareth perched on her chair at the kitchen table. He hooted happily when he saw her, and she held out her arm for him to perch on. He did so , and bit her lower lip to show affection. Not something she would let a human guy do, but it was okay for her owl friend to do it.

" Well hello Jareth, thank you. How did you know it was my birthday?" She said, laughter filling her voice.

Jareth tilted his head to the side, and flew to the kitchen table once more. He was perched on something, a package in brown paper with a note. She picked it up to find it signed with a name she recognized.

_Jareth._

Heather looked at the owl who was watching her with almost a kind of innocence.

" O-kay." She drawled in a suspicious tone. She really didn't know anyone who had seen Jareth before except for her friend Sarah who had not liked coming near the owl at all. It would probably make more sense to tell you that Sarah's last name was Williams. Sarah had told her about the Labyrinth before it had ever been turned into a movie.

But Jareth usually was out hunting when she had someone over, some people knew she had an owl though. She opened the note to find the same neat writing as the signature on the envelope.

_You wouldn't believe me if I told you Heather._

_So my present is going to show you. _

_Your faithful companion Jareth._

Heather accidentally crumpled the note when she read it. Jareth hooted at her, and she jumped. He was still watching her from the kitchen table closely. Heather looked around her for any other sign of life except for her and Jareth.

" Hello, is someone here? Look this isn't funny." She said raising her voice so it would carry through the house. Nothing moved, and no one answered.

Jareth hooted at her irritably. Heather rubbed a hand down his back. " All right, all right i'll open it Jareth. I can find out who sent it later." She said smiling.

She ripped off the brown paper to find crystal , she almost dropped it with suprise. But she caught it before it fell. Jareth was _still _staring at her with his brilliant mismatched eyes.

" I'm clumsy today okay?" She said sheepishly. Her attention back on the crystal as she stared dreamily into it. " I just wish I knew who sent it." She mumbled.

All of a sudden the crystal started to glow, and Jareth started beating his wings frantically. And Heather realized the mistake in her wording. The light blinded her, and she had to shut her eyes.

When Heather opened her brown eyes they widened in disbelief. She rubbed her eyes as if to disintegrate the sight before her. But it did not disappear. Before her was a very messy throne room, with three doorways leading out of it. But that wasn't what was making her frantic, the fact that she knew exactly where she was is what bothered her.

With shaky steps Heather walked up to the throne it's self, finding only a cloak of midnight blue there. Then Heather realized she was only wearing her pj shorts and top. Even though she was the only one in the room she was afraid of anyone seeing her like this. She retrieved the cloak, and wrapped it around her the fabric thick and warm.

There had been something laying beneath the cloak, an owl's collar. The pendant with the owl and crystal had been taken off it though. Heather slipped the collar into her shorts pocket and searched for Jareth in the room. He wasn't there.

Since there was no one around she thought it safe to call for the owl. " Jareth." She called making a clicking noise against her teeth which was their call. With sigh of relief Heather heard the clicking noise repeated to her. But the sound was so close, and directly behind her where the throne was. She smiled, and spun around to find her owl companion.

But instead of the white bird there was a man sitting sideways in the throne smiling at her. Heather gasped, pulling the cloak tight around herself.

He was wearing skin tight pants of blue, a white ruffly poets shirt, and a blue vest with black boots. He wore black gloves over his hands though the room was very warm. His hair was a feathery mass of blond hair that was almost white, and brilliant mismatched eyes.

Just like.............. Heather didn't want to finish that thought, for one thing it was impossible. Around his neck was a long chain necklace, and on the end was Jareth's pendant of the owl and crystal. Heather retrieved the broken collar from her pocket, showing it to the man.

" Where's Jareth, my owl!" She demanded. The man's smile grew wider, almost evil.

" He's your owl? Does he belong to you?" The man's voice was a rich english purr to Heather's ears. Soothing to hear, Heather had to concentrate. " No, he doesn't belong to me. He's my companion, a wild bird I nursed to health. And since you have his pendant I know you have him." She said, her tone slightly more polite this time.

The man laughed, and fingered the pendant thoughtfully before answering. " How to explain." He said thoughtfully "Do you know who I am?" He asked. Heather swallowed hard, because she knew. But she was so worried for the little owl she didn't think about a connection with her feathered companion, and the man before her. " Your the Goblin King, I named the little white owl I found after you." She said.

The Goblin King nodded. " And do you know how you got here?" He asked. Heather nodded her head lifting up her hand which still held the crystal. " Though I don't understand why i'm here, i'm not a child. And I don't remember wishing to see the Labyrinth." She said.

The Goblin King stretched out on his throne watched Heather closely. HIs stare eerily familiar, and then she gasped making the connection.

" No that's not possible, no Jareth was with me for five months straight. He never left my sight except when he hunted........" Her last word died off.

Jareth, the Goblin King turned his head to the side. His familiar mismatched eyes shone bright with delight.

" Well done Heather." He whispered, and with that transformed into the little white owl who had made her life so barable. Jareth flew to her arm, and Heather started to cry. Jareth hopped up and down on her arm until she brought him closer. He bit her lower lip to show affection like he always did. She closed her eyes, and realized the love nip felt different. Her eyes fluttered open to stare into the human Jareth nipping on her lip ever so softly. He looked into her eyes releasing her trembling lip, but he didn't move away.

" You helped me when no one else would Heather, and you showed me love. No matter how much you deny it, you always knew what I was. Yet you never shrank away from me, and instead treated me like a human being." He whispered. His gloved hands coming up to cup the sides of her face.

Heather sighed , leaning into his chest. " I wanted it to be you. I thought maybe some day he'll turn into a prince for me, and take me away." She cried into his chest. Jareth lifted her chin up, his eyes meeting her brown ones.

" Would it make any difference if your prince were a king?" He asked. Her eyes welled up with tears again, as she shook her head.

" Only if the King loves me like the prince." She said. Jareth smiled, and claimed her lips in the most passionate of kisses. And they both realized something , doctor and patient had fallen in love.

Fini 

_Silly I know, but something close to my heart. Review and tell me what you thought of it. Maybe i'll extend the story if your all really nice._


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